Caster for furniture and the like

Abstract

A caster for furniture and the like has a ground-engaging rolling member, an upright mounting fork which rotatably mounts the rolling member and a support element which projects upwardly from the mounting fork and is formed with an upright passage. A mounting arrangement mounts the fork on the support element so that the fork can turn about an upright axis, and a pin is longitudinally shiftable in the passage of the support element between a plurality of positions. An arresting arrangement serves to arrest the fork against turning about the upright axis, and includes a first set of teeth provided on the support element and a second set of teeth provided on the pin. These teeth extend parallel to the upright axis and are engageable with one another in dependence upon the position of the pin in the passage to prevent turning of the fork about the upright axis when they are in such engagement.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims: 
     
       1. A caster for furniture and the like, comprising a ground-engaging rolling member; an upright mounting fork rotatably mounting said rolling member; support means supporting said fork for turning about an upright axis, including a support element projecting upwardly from said mounting fork and formed with an upright passage, and a pin received in said passage for relative longitudinal shifting; and arresting means for arresting said fork against turning about said upright axis, including a first set of elongated teeth on said support element, a second set of elongated teeth on said pin, each of said teeth being equidistantly spaced from said upright axis over the entire length thereof, and shifting means for relatively longitudinally shifting said pin in said passage to thereby bring said sets of teeth into and out of engagement with one another. 
     
     
       2. A caster as defined in claim 1; and further comprising braking means on said pin and movable into and out of engagement with said rolling member to brake the same, in dependence upon the position of said pin in said passage. 
     
     
       3. A caster as defined in claim 1, wherein said teeth extend parallel to said axis. 
     
     
       4. A caster as defined in claim 1, wherein said first set of teeth is composed of groups of teeth spaced about said axis, and said second set of teeth forms a circumferentially complete annulus which surrounds said axis. 
     
     
       5. A caster as defined in claim 1, wherein said support element comprises a sleeve mounted in said passage and provided with said first set of teeth and, detent means engaging said sleeve and preventing the same from turning in said passage said shifting means including, biasing means permanently biasing said pin axially of said passage for engagement of said first and second sets of teeth, and a rotary cam journalled in said sleeve and having a plurality of cam tracks adapted to selectively move into engagement with a portion of said pin so as to displace the latter axially of said passage to the respective positions. 
     
     
       6. A caster as defined in claim 5, wherein said sleeve is axially split and composed of two sections, said sleeve having one end portion which is located in said passage. 
     
     
       7. A caster as defined in claim 5, wherein said detent means comprises at least one pin received in aligned transverse holes of said sleeve and said support element. 
     
     
       8. A caster as defined in claim 5, said sleeve having an end portion facing towards said mounting fork and provided with an inner shoulder which is formed with at least one depression, and wherein said pin has a transversely extending projection which is receivable in said depression. 
     
     
       9. A caster as defined in claim 5, wherein said sleeve has an end portion facing towards said mounting fork and provided with an inner shoulder having two diametrally opposite depressions, said pin having at least one transversely extending projection which is receivable in the respective depressions. 
     
     
       10. A caster as defined in claim 5; further comprising cooperating abutment portions on said cam and said support element for limiting the rotation of the former relative to said sleeve. 
     
     
       11. A caster as defined in claim 10, wherein said cam is substantially cylindrical and formed with a recess which extends over part of its circumference, said abutment portions comprising circumferentially spaced end walls of said recess and a projection on said support element which extends into said recess and against which said end walls are adapted to abut. 
     
     
       12. A caster as defined in claim 11, wherein said projection on said support element is a pin extending transversely of said sleeve. 
     
     
       13. A caster as defined in claim 12, wherein said sleeve is longitudinally split and composed of two sections, and wherein said pin on said support element connects said two sections. 
     
     
       14. A caster as defined in claim 1, wherein said mounting fork has two upright arms and an upper bight portion connecting said arms and through which a lower end portion of said pin extends; further comprising an arm mounted on said bight portion and having a polygonal hole, said lower end portion having a mating polygonal cross-section and extending through said hole. 
     
     
       15. A caster for furniture and the like, comprising a rolling member; means for mounting said rolling member for rotation in contact with the ground, including a mounting member; means for supporting said mounting member for turning about an upright axis, including two elements one of which is stationary and the other shiftable in the direction of said upright axis, one of said elements being connected to said mounting member for shared turning therewith; and arresting means for arresting said mounting member against turning, including a first arresting portion on one of said elements having a set of external circumferentially spaced teeth, a second arresting portion on the other element having a set of internal circumferentially spaced teeth, and means for shifting the shiftable element relative to the stationary element in said axial direction into and out of an arresting position in which said second arresting portion at least partially circumferentially surrounds said first arresting portion and said internal and external teeth engage each other.